Deepika Padukone turns down Draupadi's role in Mahabharat

Easy does itIT is so clearly the year of Deepika Padukone. Not only was 2018 the year when she married her boyfriend of six years — her talented and flamboyant co-star of many films Ranveer Singh — she’s even found herself among the top five earning celebrities of the year. This with only one film release in 2018. Deepika is being lured by many filmmakers, but the beautiful actor has chosen to be picky about her roles. She has turned producer with a biopic on an acid attack survivor. But other than that, she has not announced a new film in over a year. We even hear that Aamir Khan offered her Draupadi’s role in his ‘Mahabharat’, but she has turned it down. Playing games

Playing gamesIF there was one man who was once on the speed dial list of every celebrity — whether cricket or Bollywood — it was Rajeev Shukla. Shukla is the brother-in-law of Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and has connections with the current government. He has formerly been a media person and journalist (his wife still owns a news channel) and is well-networked with media mavens. His cricket background has led to a relationship with Arun Jaitley, who was once BCCI’s vice-president and president of the Delhi & District Cricket Association. Thanks to his stint as IPL’s chairman, Shukla has been close to actors such as Shah Rukh Khan. But his Rajya Sabha tenure is now over. He cannot continue as Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association president, thanks to the new Lodha rules. He also fell out with N Srinivasan and by extension other BCCI state associations. Arguably one of India’s most networked politicians, he seems to be out of favour; he even had to vacate his Delhi bungalow recently.

Rajeev Shukla

Back in the blackFINANCE minister Arun Jaitley, on the other hand, has had an unusual year. Several political watchers practically wrote him off because of his ill health and prolonged leave, and because of a perception that the prime minister’s office preferred Piyush Goyal to him. But the tide has suddenly turned. Murmurs over the past two days suggest that Jaitley is back in the black, especially since he has been entrusted with monitoring the CBI case in the apex court.

Arun Jaitley Photo by Sanjeev Rastogi

TailpieceA film that did not do well at the box office last year brought this actor and actress closer. They soon started dating, but we now hear that the actress, who will be seen in a period drama, has ended the relationship. She has been seen spending some time with a producer. The actor, meanwhile, is gearing up for the release of his new film with a debutante, after no major hits recently.